Characteristic of the religion of ancient Greece. Ancient Greek religion

The Greek religion was based on various traditions and stories, often dating back to the deep past. Some deities (Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Hermes) were known back in the Mycenaean era, others (Apollo, Ares, Dionysus) were borrowed from their neighbors. In addition to the Olympian deities, revered by all Greeks, there were a huge number of gods and heroes who were worshiped only in a certain area. Peasant gods are also known, who were once idols of fertility or patrons of land boundaries. There were many different legends about the origin of various gods. At the turn of the VIII–VII centuries. BC e. the poet Hesiod brought these myths together in his poem Theogony. Around this time, the main forms of cult and rituals that were subsequently practiced took shape.

Olympic religion

Dionysus and his retinue. Marble relief, 4th century. BC e. Louvre, Paris

The world of the gods in the minds of the Greeks is a reflection of the world of people. Zeus and other gods live in luxurious palaces on Olympus and gather for a common feast, during which they consult and argue with each other. The gods are completely anthropomorphic, they are capable of experiencing human passions, including the ability to love, suffer and hate. They are immortal, their power exceeds human power; often interfere in people's destinies and endow them with happiness or unhappiness, not so much in fairness as according to personal whim. The gods are fickle, they can turn away from the one they just helped, but with generous donations you can win their hearts to your side.

However, even the gods are not omnipotent. Their lives, like the lives of people, are controlled by impersonal fate (Ananka). For people, it determines birth, life expectancy and death, and even the gods cannot change it. They only have the power to postpone for some period the fulfillment of what was destined. Due to political fragmentation and the absence of an influential priestly class, the Greeks did not develop a unified system of religious dogmas. Instead, there was a parallel a large number of very close, but not identical religious systems. All Greeks recognized the same gods, had general principles beliefs that related to ideas about fate, the power of the gods over the world, the position of man, his posthumous fate, etc. At the same time, there was no canon that would determine the forms and content of the main legends, as well as cult practices, which in various areas differed significantly.

The temple was considered the house of the god, and the statue installed in it was the body of the god. Access to the interior of the temple was open only to priests and servants. The main cult activities took place outside. Altars on which sacrifices were made were also erected outside the temple, often in front of its facade. Both the building itself and the area surrounding it (temenos) were considered sacred and enjoyed the right of inviolability.

Rituals and sacrifices did not require special preparation; anyone could perform them. Each individual independently determined the nature and principles of his faith, provided that he did not deny the gods at all. This freedom was an essential prerequisite for the emergence of secular knowledge about the world, which Greek philosophers could develop without fear of incurring the wrath of political or religious authorities.

As in, the development of religious views in Ancient Greece went through certain periods that correspond to periods of development ancient greek culture. Usually the following are distinguished.

Creto-Mycenaean(III-II millennium BC). This period ended as a result of destruction on the island of Crete caused by volcanic eruptions and floods. On the coast, the cause of destruction was the invasion of northern peoples - the Dorians.

Homeric period(XI-VIII centuries BC). At this time the formation took place political system Ancient Greece - policy. The end of the period is characterized by the creation of the famous poems of Homer, in which the main principles of the religion of the ancient Greeks can already be traced.

Archaic period(VIII-VI centuries BC). Formation of the main features of ancient Greek culture and religion.

Classical period(V-IV centuries BC). The rise of ancient Greek culture.

Hellenistic period(IV-I centuries BC). Active mutual influence of ancient Greek culture and cultures of other peoples.

The main sources of information about ancient Greek are the works Homer's Iliad" And " Odyssey" And Gay-ode "Theogony". Based on these works, it can be concluded that ancient greek gods were divided into three groups:

1. heavenly or uranic (Zeus and all the Olympian gods);
2. underground or chthonic (Hades, Demeter, Erinyes);
3. earthly or ecumenical (Hestia, gods of the hearth).

In the original ideas, the dominant place was occupied by the sovereign goddess - the deity of fertility. Subsequently, she was transformed into the wife of the highest God - Geru. Then the male deity stands out - Zeus. His position is equal to that of a king among the aristocracy and ordinary subjects. Zeus and Hera form a divine couple, a model of family and sovereignty. Of the same generation as them - gods Poseidon and Demeter. The younger generation of Gods are the sons of Zeus - Apollo, Hephaestus And Ares; daughters - Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite. They are the executors of the will of Zeus and receive power over their part of the world order.

Zeus becomes the highest god in the fight against previous generations of gods: Uranus, Kronos, titans. These gods are defeated, but not destroyed. They are the personification of the elemental forces of nature. In addition to these gods, the Greek pantheon included local deities; thus, the pantheon of gods was very large. The gods were anthropomorphic in nature. They had the same character traits as humans, but differed in that they could transform into animals and were immortal.

The ancient Greeks had an idea about demons - lower supernatural forces. Demons were nymphs, satyrs, seleniums. In honor of demons, rituals and ceremonies were performed that were aimed at preventing demons from harming people. The ancient Greeks distinguished superstition And faith. Excessive demon worship (superstition) was frowned upon by society.

Among the ancient Greeks, occupied an important place ancestor cult. The Greeks believed that the dead could harm living people; and to prevent this from happening, they need to be appeased, i.e. make sacrifices. Failure to bury ashes (absence of burial) was considered especially unacceptable. There was an idea about the kingdom of the dead Aida. In Hades, dead people were divided into sinners and righteous people; sinners fell into Tartarus(similar to hell). The doctrine of posthumous existence was called orphism(named after the ancient Greek hero who visited the world of the dead).

The performance of rituals was of great importance; there were state cults. These cults were carried out periodically, as well as to commemorate particularly significant events (disasters, victories, etc.).

In the VI century. BC. a holiday was established - “ Great Panathenaea" in honor of the goddess Athena. It was built for this holiday Acropolis. The ritual was performed once every four years in July-August and lasted five days. First there were night celebrations and demonstrations. Then sacrifices were made. It was believed that the gods ate the smell of meat, and people ate meat. Similar festivals were dedicated to other gods, for example "Great Dionithese" - in honor of God Dionysus. Poets and musicians composed hymns. In addition, there were mysteries - secret, hidden rituals. The uninitiated were forbidden to participate in the mysteries.

The priests of Ancient Greece did not enjoy such authority as in, they were not allocated to a special class; any citizen, for example the head of a family, could perform the ritual. A person was chosen at a community meeting to perform the rituals. In some churches, the service required special preparation, so they chose knowledgeable people. Sometimes they were called oracles, since it was believed that they were able to convey the will of the gods.

There were various religious communities in Ancient Greece. The basis of religious life was family. Families united in phratries, phratries united into phyla(primarily on professional grounds). There were also sects - secret organizations who gathered around the leader.

Introduction

Classical philosophy was born in the era of the highest flowering of Greek culture as an attempt to comprehend the surrounding world, understand the meaning and laws of the universe. We can find the origins of Greek philosophy in Egypt and Asia Minor, where the Greeks traveled not only in search of profit, but also for the secret knowledge of more ancient civilizations.

Basic philosophical ideas and principles were expressed by Greek philosophers. New times hardly added anything new. Meanwhile, the philosopher of Ancient Greece had a significant difference from his future colleagues. He didn't just talk about life, he lived as he spoke. His philosophy was not so much in his books as in his real life. If you had to suffer for your beliefs, ancient Greek philosopher suffered and died.

At that time, philosophy was not the property of library shelves; the rulers of states considered it an honor to be philosophers.

Features of ancient Greek religion

In order for images to express an idea not conventionally, but directly, for this the idea must be complete and clear for the artist and architect. But what about ideas? primitive societies consist of dark forebodings and vague forebodings, so their ideas, naturally, must consist of only hints, allegories and symbols. In Greece, art abandoned symbolism. His images were clothed in simplicity and truth, which constitute the highest ideal of beauty.

Art never develops independently: on the contrary, its development is always connected with other spheres of consciousness. In the era of primitive and young peoples, architecture, as a form of art, has always, to a greater or lesser extent, been an expression of religious ideas. And in the era of development of ancient society - the expression of philosophical concepts.

The gods of Greece are similar to people, the human image is exalted in comparison with other peoples, its purpose is to express beauty and harmony.

Greek culture ennobled and enlightened human feelings, which had previously been wild and cruel. The concepts of honor and dignity appeared.

It is known that Greek mythology constituted not only the arsenal of Greek art, but also its soil. Is that view of nature and public relations, which underlies Greek fantasy, and therefore Greek art, is possible in industrial society With railways, telephone, unlimited information sources? No, it was childhood the development of civilization, a period that cannot be repeated, and which was childishly beautiful. Ancient Greek architecture and philosophy in many ways surpassed world architecture and philosophy for many centuries, just as children's knowledge is stored in memory for a lifetime.

Yes, outstanding Greek buildings are mostly temples dedicated to the gods. But Greek philosophers, for the most part, denied the Olympian gods. Why did they deny it? These gods were endowed with the characters and vices of man. Philosophers were not satisfied with the lack of ideals, polytheism came into question, and for ancient world this is a sign of advanced philosophical idea. The builders of the Parthenon or Erechtheon were not direct followers of Pythagoras, Socrates or Plato. Here we can talk about the general culture of Greece. After all, the basis of Greek architecture was the concepts of harmony, aesthetic beauty, a sense of proportion and knowledge of mathematics.

As for the actual religions of ancient greece, then (if you do not take into account the surprisingly vivid and carefully developed mythology) it did not contain anything original. The Greeks never had any sacred books, no theology, no religious and moral commandments. The priests did not form a powerful corporation here and did not play a significant role. political role, as was the case, for example, in Egypt.

If the Egyptian clergy was the environment in which theological thought, medicine, and mathematics were cultivated, if the Israeli clergy fought for the moral education of the people, then the Greek priests were only performers of rituals, utterers of spells and organizers of sacrifices. Therefore many religious ideas were formalized here not by theologians in the true sense of the word, but by poets - primarily Homer and Hesiod.

Herodotus subsequently wrote that before Homer, the Greeks did not have a clear idea of ​​the gods, their lives, relationships and spheres of activity. We can thus talk about a peculiar phenomenon - “Homeric religion”, for which the poems of the Ionian singer served as something like holy book.

Olympian gods in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey

Indeed, the Iliad and Odyssey contain many scenes depicting the life and relationships of the family clan of the Olympian gods. It was headed, as we know, by Zeus, who shared power with his two brothers - the ruler of the sea, Poseidon, and the ruler of the underworld, Hades. Along with them, Zeus’s wife-sister Hera and his children played a major role:

• Apollo
• Hermes
• Hephaestus
• Aphrodite
• Artemis, as well as some other deities (for example, the fertility goddess Demeter)

When drawing the gods, Homer took people as a model for them. This was a huge step forward compared, for example, with the ancient Egyptian beast-like gods. But at the same time such a view of the gods concealed within itself great danger- guessing the rational principle in the divine, the Greeks put into it all the diversity of purely human limitations and purely human weaknesses.

By and large, the Homeric gods did not actually contain anything superhuman. First of all, they were not truly spiritual beings, since they had a body, albeit a special, gigantic one, but still a body. They needed sleep and rest, loved merry feasts and willingly indulged in love games.

In addition, the gods were greedy for offerings, envious, treacherous, jealous and petty. The only fundamental difference between the Olympians and people was their immortality, but this was not initially inherent in their nature, but was supported by the acceptance magic drink nectar. A particularly sensitive flaw in the Zeus pantheon was its lack of clear ethical principles.

Since primitive antiquity, ethics has gone hand in hand with religion. The moral ideal of the Olympians was so shaky that after just a few generations it caused protests and ridicule among the Greeks themselves.

In Homer we also find an established idea of ​​the afterlife - it was gloomy and hopeless. A vivid description of it is contained in the Odyssey. The poet endows the sleepy kingdom of Hades with the features of a nightmare. This is the abode of semi-conscious shadows wandering in black underground abysses, the entrance to which is shrouded in eternal night. In this sorrowful world, hellish rivers roar, reflecting bare dead trees and pale flowers. This is where monsters reside and where criminal titans are executed.

Mythology of ancient Greece

In addition to Homer's poems, the religious ideas of the ancient Greeks were summarized in Hesiod's Theogony. The poet collected in it tales and myths concerning the origin of the gods and the world. We will not talk in detail about this creation of a conscientious mythographer - there are no special religious revelations in it.

Like many eastern peoples, the Greeks did not know a single creativity standing at the origins of existence. At the beginning of the universe, they saw only a blind, faceless mass, which they called chaos. The divine principle dissolved in her manifested itself only as a result of the act of birth. Therefore, Hesiod begins his tale with chaos and the eternal Mother Earth.

Further, the sexual element plays a huge role in the structure of the universe - gods marry each other and give birth to other gods. So the Earth gave birth to her husband - Uranus, shining with stars, who overshadowed her. They were connected by the power of Eros - the eternal beginning of life-giving and fruitful love.

Then there is a story about the change of generations of gods - how Uranus was castrated and overthrown by his titan children led by Cronus, and they, in turn, after a difficult battle were defeated by the Olympian gods. Since then, Zeus began to rule the world.

Ancient cult of Dionysius

Along with the Olympian religion of Homer and Hesiod, there were other religious cults in Ancient Greece, only partially connected with it by later myths. Religion of Ancient Greece often based on legends and works of art.

Quite special in spirit and very ancient was the cult of Dionysus, which had a profound influence on the entire Hellenic consciousness. Its striking distinctive feature was Dionysia - unbridled female orgies.

IN certain days venerable mothers of the family, women and girls went into the deep forests and here, intoxicated with wine, indulged in wild, frenzied dancing. It was believed that at these moments they belonged entirely to the deity productive force nature - Dionysus or Bacchus.

Surrendering to the power of Dionysus, a person shook off the shackles of everyday life, freeing himself from social norms and common sense. The guardianship of reason disappeared, the bacchante seemed to merge with the flow of divine life and join the elemental rhythms of the universe. Later, the violent deity was introduced into the Olympian family - he was declared the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele.

IN classical era, when the ancient primitive ideas ceased to satisfy the inquisitive Greek thought, new religious teachings appeared.

Orphic doctrine

The earliest of them was Orphism, named after its founder Orpheus, the legendary seer and musician who personified the harmony of the divine spirit.

According to myths, this prophet came from Thrace and lived in the Achaean era. The muse Calliope was considered his mother.

Orpheus' playing and singing were so perfect that even the elements were subdued by them; when he traveled with the Argonauts, the waves and wind were subdued, enchanted by his wondrous music.

Most famous myth about Orpheus tells how, trying to return his beloved wife Eurydice, who died from a snake bite, he descended into the Underworld. And even there his lyre worked miracles: the monsters, hearing his wondrous music, closed their mouths, the evil Erinyes calmed down, the ruler of Hades himself was subdued by Orpheus.

He agreed to give Eurydice to him, but on the condition that the singer walk in front and not look back at her. But Orpheus could not overcome his anxiety and turned around. Because of this, Eurydice was again drawn into the abyss, this time forever. The inconsolable singer after this for a long time wandered the earth, finding no peace. Once in Thrace, he met a crowd of maddened bacchantes, who, in a fit of frenzy, tore him to pieces.

This, according to legend, was the fate of the founder of Orphism, who died in ancient times, even before the beginning Trojan War. However, modern historians have every reason to believe that this teaching appeared much later.

The main source for getting to know him is the so-called “Orphic Hymns”. It is believed that their records date back to the 5th century. BC, and they finally took shape no earlier than the 2nd century. BC The Greeks themselves were sure that Orpheus learned secret wisdom in Egypt.

According to the cosmogonic and theogonic provisions of Orphism, the world order is based on two principles: female maternal nature and the fertilizing power of Dionysus. But at the same time, in Orphism there was an idea of ​​​​supreme unity, which consisted in a certain divine element, the eternal womb of the world. In some texts it was called Chronos, Time.

Chronos gave birth to the bright Ether of the sky and bubbling Chaos. From them a cosmic egg was born, which contained all the germs of the Universe:

• Gods
• Titans
• Of people

When the giant egg split, a shining Protogonos emerged from it, that is, the First-born - a god who embraces all natural diversity. In some features the Orphic theogony followed Hesiod's poem. But that wasn't the main thing.

Orpheus taught that Zeus, having absorbed the Firstborn, became identical with him. Zeus in the Orphic religion is the only world deity who appears in many faces. There is One Power, One Divinity, the Great Beginning of everything. But the story of the gods does not end there.

The Thunderer enters into an alliance with the Underworld and from its queen Persephone gives birth to a son - Dionysus-Zagreus. The appearance of this deity does not mean a renunciation of faith in a single force permeating the cosmos. Dionysus-Zagreus for Orpheus was like a hypostasis of Zeus - his power, his strength. Thus, Dionysus is Zeus, and Zeus is none other than the Original.

The most original part of the Orphic doctrine was the doctrine of man. The myth tells that one day the Titans took up arms against Dionysus, who, trying to elude them, took on various forms. When he turned into a bull, his enemies overtook him, tore him to pieces and devoured him. Only the heart remained untouched - the bearer of Dionysus' essence.

Accepted into the bosom of Zeus, it was reborn in the new Dionysus, and heavenly thunder burned the rebels. From the remaining ashes, in which the divine was mixed with the titanic, the human race arose. This means that man has a dual nature - divine and titanic. The latter leads people to brutality, and it mercilessly plunges them into the prison of the body.

The soul in the teachings of Orpheus was considered highest principle. Suppressed by the body and imprisoned in it as if in a tomb, she is forced to eke out a miserable existence within its boundaries.

Orphic lifestyle

Even death does not bring liberation from the clutches of titanic nature. Orpheus taught that after death the soul - this Dionysian spark - under the yoke of base nature returns to the earth again and inhabits another body.

Target human life is to free the soul from the captivity of the material world - to get out of the endless chain of reincarnations and return to the deity again.

To do this, a person must develop the divine side of being - the Dionysian principle. This was served by the special mysteries of the Orphics and their entire way of life.

First of all, those entering the path of enlightenment were required to observe the covenants of goodness. Orphic was obliged to wage a tireless struggle against titanism in his heart. And his thoughts and deeds had to remain pure. There were other rules of behavior. Thus, Orpheus was credited with prohibiting the consumption of animals. Blood sacrifices were rejected. The entire life of the Orphics took place in complex magical rituals.

Certain ideas of Orphism were close to many Greeks. In the VI-V centuries. BC This creed, apparently, was widespread, but it never became truly popular.

Orphic communities - small closed circles - existed until the beginning of our era. Holistic religion of ancient Greece was never formed into flesh until the advent of Christianity.

In the ancient Greek world, religion was personal, direct, and present in all areas of life. With formal rituals that included animal sacrifices and libations, myths explaining the origins of humanity and giving to the gods human face, temples that dominated the urban landscape, city festivals and national sports and art competitions, religion was never far from the ancient Greek mind. While an individual could form his own opinion about the extent of his religious belief, and some may have been completely skeptical, some basics had to be widespread enough for Greek government and society to function: gods existed, they could influence people and they welcomed and responded to acts of piety and worship.

GODS
The polytheistic Greek religion embraced many gods, each representing a different facet of the human condition, and even abstract ideas such as justice and wisdom could have their own personification. However, the most important gods were the Olympian gods, led by Zeus. These are Athens, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hades, Hepheis and Dionysus. These gods were believed to live on the mountain. Olympos and would have been recognized throughout Greece, although with some local variations and perhaps special attributes and associations.

In the Greek imagination, literature and art, the gods were given human bodies and characters - both good and bad - and like ordinary men and women, they married, had children (often through illicit affairs), fought wars and in stories Greek mythology, they directly intervened in human affairs. These traditions were first listed only in oral form, as there was no sacred text in the Greek religion, and then attempts were made to write this oral tradition, particularly by Hesiod in his Theogony and more indirectly in the works of Homer.

The gods became patrons of cities, such as Aphrodite for Corinth and Helios for Rhodes, and were called upon to help in certain situations, such as Ares during war and Hera for marriage. Some gods were imported from abroad, such as Adonis, and incorporated into the Greek pantheon, while rivers and springs could take on a very localized personified form, such as nymphs.

PACES, RITUALS AND RIGHTS
The temple (naos - the sense of dwelling place in relation to the belief that a god lived in that place or was at least temporarily visited during rituals) was a place where religion took on a more formal tone on special occasions. The gods were worshiped at sacred sites and temples in all major Greek communities in ceremonies performed by priests and their servants.

At first, sacred places were simply a simple altar in a designated area, but over time, massive temples were built in honor of a specific god, and they usually contained a cult statue of the deity, most famously the huge statue of Athena in the Parthenon of Athens or Zeus in Olympia. Over time, a whole complex of temples for lesser gods could arise within the main temple, creating a large sacred complex, often built on an acropolis dominating the city or surrounding area. This sacred area (temenos) was separated from the rest of the community by a symbolic gate or propylon, and in fact the area was believed to belong to a specific deity, about whom we're talking about. Sacred sites also received financial donations and dedications of statues, fountains and even buildings from believers, often to celebrate a great military victory and to thank the gods, and larger sanctuaries also had permanent guardians (neokoroi) who were responsible for maintaining the site.

The temple itself, however, was not used during religious practices as they were held at a designated altar outside the temple. Ancient writers often show a reluctance to go into explicit details of religious rites and rites, as if they were too sacred to be published in the written word. What we do know is that the most common religious practices were sacrifice and libation drinking, all accompanied by prayers in honor of the god. The animals that were sacrificed were usually pigs, sheep, goats or cows and were always the same sex as the god who was being honored. The meat was then either completely burned or cooked and some was offered to the god and the rest was eaten by some or all of the worshipers or taken away to be eaten later. The actual killing of the animal was carried out by the butcher or cook (megeiras), while the young girl sprinkled the seeds on the animals' heads, perhaps symbolizing life and rebirth at the moment of the animal's death. Other such rituals involved examining the depths of animal sacrifices to identify signs that could help predict future events.

Then the priests organized religious ceremonies and said prayers. The position was generally open to everyone and once she assumed the role, especially when she wore the sacred headband, the priest's body became inviolable. Priests served a specific god, but they were not necessarily religious experts. On theological issues, a citizen could consult with exegetes, government officials knowledgeable in religious matters. Women can also be priests, which is perhaps surprising given their lack of any other public role in Greek society. Often, but not always, the priest was the same gender as the god they represented. Priestesses had the additional limitation that they were most often chosen because they were virgins or beyond menopause. On the other hand, believers may be of both sexes, and those rituals with restrictions may exclude either men or women.

SECRETS AND ORACHS
In addition to the official and public religious rites, there were also many rites that were revealed and known only by the initiator who performed them, the most famous example of which were the Mysteries of Eleusis. In these closed groups, members believed that certain types activities brought spiritual benefits, including better days after tomorrow.

Places could also acquire a divine connection; great oracles such as Apollo at Delphi and Zeus at Dodona may well have begun as places considered especially good for receiving signs from the gods. Such places became extremely important centers with their sacred oracles, which were consulted by individuals and city-states alike so that rather vague and ambiguous proclamations could help guide their future behavior.

FESTIVALS AND GAMES
Athletic games and competitions in music (especially kithara and lyre) and theater (both tragedy and comedy) were held during festivals such as the Athenian City Dionysia and the Panellian Games at the most important sacred sites of Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia to honor a specific god. These events were attended by guests from all over Greece, and the experience was perhaps more akin to a pilgrimage than a simple sports fan. Illustrating their sacred status, war was prohibited during these events and pilgrims were guaranteed free passage through Greece. However, there were also smaller festivals, sometimes attended by a very specific number of people, such as the Archephoria in Athens, which was attended only by priestesses and no more than four young girls.

PERSONAL RELIGION
Although the historical record reveals much about formal religious events and ceremony, we must remember that Greek religion was actually practiced anywhere, at any time, by individuals in very individual ways. For example, not only temples, but also fireplaces in private homes were considered sacred. People could also visit the temple any time they wanted, and it was customary to say a prayer even when they simply passed them on the street. People left offerings such as incense, flowers and food, no doubt with an encouraging prayer or gratitude for a past deed. People could also organize their own sacrifice if they had the means to do so, and they were marked by the thousands of stone relief markers found at sacred sites. In addition, temples were often visited to seek healing, especially at those sites associated with Asclepius, the god of medicine, especially at Epidaurus.

People also looked for signs from the gods in everyday life and interpreted these signs as indicators of future events. Such signs can be birds in the sky or a spoken word between friends said at a certain moment, or even a simple sneeze that can be interpreted as a favorable or unfavorable omen.

Such beliefs, and indeed some aspects of religion such as the immorality of gods depicted in art, have been subject to considerable criticism by intellectuals, artists and philosophers since the 5th century BC, but they may or may not reflect the generally accepted views of the wider population , and from the rich archaeological and written records it is difficult to believe that religion was anything like a fundamental part of life for ordinary inhabitants of the ancient Greek world.